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Seattle Post IntelligencerAugust 5, 2009The Washington Secretary of State's office said Tuesday it had checked another 5,815 signatures for Referendum 71, rejecting 14.4 percent. R-71 seeks to overturn Washington's new domestic partnership law for same-sex couples. "The error rate was the highest of any seen during the first three days of scrutiny," said Dave Ammons, secretary of state spokesman. [Link]

The OlympianJuly 31, 2009Social conservatives who organized the Referendum 71 challenge to domestic-partnership rights for same-sex couples turned in fewer signatures than initially thought. Signature checking begins today and could take several days. [Link]

Columbian.com - Clark County WashingtonJuly 23, 2009"There were a few folks who were concerned about our organization getting publicly involved, because of the potential backlash," said local YWCA Executive Director Kathy Kniep. But equal treatment for same-sex couples was too important an issue to ignore, the YWCA decided. [Link]

The Associated PressJuly 26, 2009Sponsors of a campaign to deny basic partnership rights to same-sex couples in Washington state turned in their petition signatures Saturday and said they believe they have enough to force a public vote. An expanded domestic partnership law was scheduled to take effect Sunday, but is now delayed until the signatures can be counted, a process that could take up to a month. [Link]

The OlympianJuly 23, 2009A political fight over the rights of same-sex couples is drawing nearer in Washington State. Backers of Referendum 71, who want to overturn a new state partnership law that includes same-sex couples, have made an appointment to file signatures with state elections officials Saturday afternoon. [Link]

On Top MagazineJuly 21, 2009Organizers for Referendum 71, which would overturn the expanded domestic partnership law enacted in May, admit that they have fallen desperately behind in collecting the 120,577 valid signatures needed to qualify the measure. Meanwhile, gay rights groups say the referendum threat has accelerated the growth of pro-marriage equality groups in Washington State. [Link]

The Seattle TimesJuly 21, 2009Conservative evangelical opposition to marriage equality is in disarray in Washington state. Pastor Joseph Fuiten, senior pastor at Cedar Park Assembly of God Church in Bothell, long has been a staunch, articulate voice for conservative Christian values. But his position on what role the church should play on gay rights is shifting, and he's struggling to understand what God wants him to do next. [Link]

The Seattle TimesJune 27, 2009Forty years after New York's Stonewall Riots launched the gay-rights movement, older gays and younger ones share much the same agenda of equality. But their needs within the movement are also divergent. Young people, who have at times referred to their own post-gay movement, seek the protections of marriage equality as they form relationships and start families, while gays of their grandparents' generation are more concerned about issues of aging — like survivor benefits and long-term care. This weekend, across the country and around the world — including here in Seattle on Sunday — they will join together, young and old, lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people to mark the anniversary of Stonewall. [Link]

The Seattle TimesJune 16, 2009WASHINGTON voters have every good reason to ignore signature gatherers who seek to block an expansion of rights for registered domestic partners. The legislation, Senate Bill 5688, is fundamentally about gay and lesbian couples and their families living within the framework of the law, with all its practical realities and complexities. These are adults in committed relationships, raising children, running businesses and owning property. They have real estate, pensions and sick leave, and child-custody issues that are part of the work-a-day world. The measure Referendum 71 seeks to block will not be read by casual petition signers. That is a shame, because the innate fairness intended in the legislation is truly in the details. [Link]

The OregonianMay 21, 2009A Coquille Indian Tribe law allowing marriage equality took effect on Wednesday, May 20, 2009. The law recognizes the freedom to marry and extends to gay and lesbian partners, at least one of whom must be Coquille, all tribal benefits of marriage. Neither Washington nor Oregon have legalized marriage equality, but as a federally recognized sovereign nation, the tribe is not bound by the Oregon Constitution. [Link]